Garuda Purana

रज्जुच्छेदाश्रुपातञ्च तप्तकृच्छ्रेण शुध्यति । एषामन्यतमं प्रेतं यो वहेत्तु देहत वा

By cutting the rope, shedding tears, or through the heated penance, one is purified; whoever carries a corpse, by any of these means, is cleansed.

कटोदकक्रियां कृत्वा कृच्छ्र सान्तपनं चरेत् । निमित्ते लघुनि स्वल्पं महन्महति कल्पयेत्

After performing the water-rite for the deceased, one should undertake the penance called kṛcchra sāntapana; for a minor cause, a small penance, for a major, a great one is prescribed.

गरुड उवाच । कृच्छ्रस्य तप्तकृच्छ्रस्य तथा सान्तपनस्य च । लक्षणं ब्रूहि मे स्वामिंस्त्रयाणामपि सुव्रत

Garuda said: O virtuous one, tell me the characteristics of kṛcchra, taptakṛcchra, and sāntapana, all three, O master.

श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । त्र्यहं प्रातस्त्र्यहं सायं त्र्यहमद्यादयाचितम् । उपवासस्त्र्यहञ्चैव एष कृच्छ्र उदाहृतः

Śrī Krishna said: For three days in the morning, three days in the evening, and three days subsisting on begged food, and three days fasting—this is called kṛcchra.

तप्तक्षीरघृताम्बूनामेकैकं प्रत्यहं पिबेत् । एकरात्रोपवासश्च तप्तकृच्छ्र उदाहृतः

One should drink, each day, hot milk, ghee, and water, one each; and fast for one night—this is called taptakṛcchra.

गोमूत्रं गोमयं क्षीरं दधि सर्पिः कुशोदकम् । जग्ध्वा परेऽह्न्युपवसेत्कृच्छ्रं सान्तपनञ्चरन्

Having consumed cow urine, dung, milk, curd, ghee, and water touched by kuśa grass, one should fast the next day—this is the sāntapana penance.

मया तेऽयं समाख्यातो दुर्मृतस्य विधिः खग । तदा मृतं विजानीयाद्दीपनिर्वाणमागतः

I have now explained to you, O bird, the procedure for one who dies improperly; know that a person is dead when the lamp has gone out.

अग्निदाहं ततः कुर्यात्सूतकञ्च दिनत्रयम् । दशाहं गर्तपिणाडञ्च कर्तव्यं प्रेतपूर्वकम्

Then one should perform cremation and observe impurity for three days; the ten-day period and the pit for the body should be observed as for the dead.

एवं विधिं ततः कुर्यात्ततः प्रेतश्च मुक्तिभाक् । मृतभ्रान्त्या प्रतिकृतेः कृते दाहे स वै यदि

Thus should the rite be performed; then the deceased attains liberation. If, by mistake, the rite is performed for one not dead, and cremation is done—

आयाति तेन कर्तव्यं मज्जनं घृकुण्डके । जातकर्मादिसंस्काराः कर्तव्याः पुनरेव तु

Then one must bathe in a ghṛkuṇḍa vessel; and the birth and other sacraments must be performed again.

ऊढामेव स्वकां भार्यामुद्वहेद्विधिवत्पुमान् । वर्षे पञ्चदशे पक्षिन् द्वादशे वा गते सति

A man should remarry his own wife according to rule, O bird, in the fifteenth year, or after twelve years have passed.

अज्ञातस्य प्रोषितस्य कृत्वा प्रतिकृतिं दहेत् । रजस्वलासूतिकयोर्विशेषं मरणे शृणु

For one unknown or gone abroad, after making an effigy, it should be cremated; now hear the distinction in the death of a menstruating woman or one in childbirth.

सूतिकायां मृतायान्तु एवं कुर्वन्ति याज्ञिकाः । कुम्भे सलिलमादाय पञ्चगव्यं तथैव च

When a woman dies in childbirth, the ritualists perform thus: taking water in a pot, and also the five products of the cow.

पुण्याभिरभिमन्त्र्यापो वाचा शुद्धिं लभेत्ततः । शतसूर्पोदकेनादौ स्नापयित्वा यथाविधि

After sanctifying the water with auspicious mantras, one should attain purity through speech; then, first, the body should be bathed properly with water from a hundred pots.

तेनैव स्नापयित्वा तु दाहं कुर्यात्स्वगेश्वर । पञ्चभिः स्नापयित्वा तु गव्यैः प्रेतां रजस्वलाम्

Having bathed the body in this way, the cremation should be performed by the head of the family; after bathing with five products of the cow, the bodies of the deceased and menstruating women should be purified.

वस्त्रान्तराकृतिं कृत्वा दाहयेद्विधिपूर्वकम् । मृतस्य पञ्चके दाहविधिं वच्मि शृणुष्व मे

After making an effigy out of cloth, it should be burned according to the prescribed procedure; now I will explain the rules for cremation during the five nakṣatras—listen to me.

आदौ कृत्वा धनिष्ठार्धमेतन्नक्षत्रपञ्चकम् । रेवत्यन्तं सदा दूष्यमशुभं सर्वदा भवेत्

First, having marked half of Dhaniṣṭhā, this group of five nakṣatras up to Revati is always considered inauspicious and should always be avoided.

दाहस्तत्र न कर्तव्यो विषादः सर्वजन्तुषु । न जलं दीयते तेषु अशुभं सर्वदा भवेत्

Cremation should not be performed during that period; grief arises among all beings, water should not be offered then, and it is always considered inauspicious.

पञ्चकानन्तरं सर्वं कार्यं कर्तव्यमन्यथा । पुत्त्राणां गोत्रिणां तस्य सन्तापोऽप्युपजायते

All rites should be performed after the five nakṣatras have passed; otherwise, suffering will arise even for the sons and relatives of the deceased.

गृहे हानिर्भवत्येव ऋक्षेष्वेषु मृतस्य च । अथ वा ऋक्षमद्ये च दाहस्तु विधिपूर्वकः

Loss occurs in the household and among the stars for the deceased; however, if cremation must be done during these stars, it should be performed according to the prescribed rules.

क्रियते मानुषाणान्तु स वा आहुतिपूर्वकः । विप्रैर्विधिरतः कार्यो मन्त्रैस्तु विधिपूर्वकम्

For humans, the rite is performed with offerings into the fire; the procedure should be carried out by brāhmaṇas with mantras, according to the proper method.

शवस्थानसमीपे तु क्षेप्तव्याः पुत्तलास्ततः । दर्भकॢप्तास्तु चत्वार ऋक्षमन्त्राभिमन्त्रिताः

Near the place where the body lies, four effigies made of darbha grass, consecrated with nakṣatra mantras, should be placed.

ततो दाहः प्रकर्तव्यस्तैश्च पुत्तलकैः सह । सूतकान्ते तदा पुत्त्रैः कार्यं शान्तिकपौष्टिकम्

Then the cremation should be performed together with those effigies; at the end of the impurity period, the sons should perform rites for peace and prosperity.

पञ्चकेषु मृतो योऽसौ न सतिं लभते नरः । तिलान् गाञ्च सुवर्णञ्च तमुद्दिश्य घृतं ददेत्

A man who dies during the five nakṣatras does not obtain a wife in the next life; for him, sesame seeds, cows, gold, and ghee should be offered.

विप्राणां दापयेद्दानं सर्वविघ्नविनाशनम् । भोजनोपानहौच्छत्त्रं हेममुद्रा च वाससी

One should give gifts to brāhmaṇas to remove all obstacles: food, footwear, umbrellas, gold coins, and garments.

दक्षिणा दीयते विप्रे पातकस्य प्रमोचनः । मयातेऽयं समाख्यातो विधिः पञ्चहरः स्थितः । संयमिन्यां यथायानं यथावर्षं मृतक्रिया

A fee should be given to the brāhmaṇa for the release from sin; thus I have explained the procedure for the five nakṣatras, as established, and the rites for the deceased according to the season and the journey of the soul.

श्रीगरुडमहापुराणम् ५ श्रीकृष्ण उवाच । एवं दग्ध्वा नरं प्रेतं स्नात्वा कृत्वा तिलोदकम् । अग्रतः स्त्रीजनो गच्छेद्व्रजेयुः पृष्ठतो नराः ॥ २,५.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: After burning the dead body, having bathed and performed the water offering with sesame, the women should go in front and the men should follow behind.

प्राशयेन्निम्बपत्राणि रुदन्तो नामपूर्वकम् । विधातव्यं चाचमनं पाषाणोपरि संस्थिते ॥ २,५.

They should chew neem leaves, weeping and reciting the name of the deceased; then, purification should be performed while standing on a stone.

ते प्रविश्य गृहं सर्वे सुताद्याश्च सपिण्डकाः । भवेयुर्दशरात्रं वै यत आशौचकं खग ॥ २,५.

All the sons and other relatives, having entered the house, should observe the ten-day period of impurity, O bird.